


Graduation

by godcomplexfics (godtiercomplex)



Series: dysfunctional family funtimes [22]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Adoption, Coming of Age, Family Drama, Gen, M/M, adoption doesn't work like this, mentions of haise/shuu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 08:16:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9712949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godtiercomplex/pseuds/godcomplexfics
Summary: Saiko’s high school graduation is upon her, and she has a choice to make.In which; Saiko has to decide on her future path.(Reposted due to Ao3 mishaps)





	

When she had been a child, a magician stole her away from her true family and gave her a new one. That’s how she viewed it at the time. But Saiko knew that was not what it truly was. Her Maman had saved her, but only partially. The rest of the saving she would have to do herself.

For years she didn’t feel the urge to cut herself off completely from her birth family. At the start of each month, Arima would hand over a ridiculously huge amount of money to her that she was supposed to do with what she liked. She ended up giving most of it month after month to her mother. It went on like this for years.

Things should be different, she thought, but she didn’t know how to make them different. She wanted to live her life playing video games, and eating good food cooked by her Maman and Shuuchan. She wanted to be with her brothers Tooru, Urie, and Shirazu. She wanted more than the life her birth family would have been able to offer her.

She had corporate deals and sponsors via her YouTube channel. None of that would have been possible if she hadn’t met Sassan so long ago. Without the support of her adoptive family for her hobbies she wouldn’t be considering streaming video games as a viable career.

She had been allowed to be spoiled as the only girl of the family, instead of having to put up a brave front as the oldest. She had been blessed, and she was thankful for that, but still.

Still now she hesitated as she brushed out her hair so Akira would be able pin it up for her. Her uniform was freshly pressed, and she had a dress for that evening's party ready to go. She just had to say the word and Akira would come into the room and dress her hair.

She did not say the word. Instead, she thought some more, and more, and considered climbing into bed and playing her video games until it was the next day. She knew that Haise wouldn’t get too mad at her over it. Everyone else might be frustrated, but as long as Haise didn’t freak, they mostly wouldn’t. But, she also knew that they would talk behind her back and she wasn’t sure if she was okay with that.

She set down the brush, and called for Akira.

Her grandmother, pretend, fake, etc, entered the room and pinned up her hair so the ringlets fell down in waves on either side of her shoulders. She was silent as Akira brushed rouge on her cheeks, and stained her lips a pale pink.

“Akira,” she asked, “Do you think that family is important?”

“I think,” Akira said, “that family is important, but doesn’t have to be the most important thing in your life. Some families are just bad for people and they need to cut them out of their lives, and others are like not bad, and not good, and then others are perfect. Seemingly at least.”

“Would you consider our family to be bad?”

Akira considered that for a moment as she put away her makeup, “I consider our family to be just alright. It’s not like Haise’s allowing you guys to do drugs or anything. We’re not the greatest, but we’re not the worse I’ve ever seen.”

Saiko looked at herself in the mirror. "I see. Je comprends.”

She didn’t know what to do. Akira gave good advice as a lawyer for rich families, but, that bit about cutting out toxic families was sticking to her. Was her birth family toxic? Did she need to cut them out of her life? What would she have left if she did that?

“Good,” Akira said, “Now, come downstairs once you’re ready. It’s almost time for the ceremony.”

Akira left, and Saiko was alone. She got dressed and went downstairs. Her brothers were wearing their uniforms as well, and they were clean and fresh and pressed as well--aside from Urie who was dressed down in normal clothes. Haise was in a black suit, and Tsukiyama was in a toned down purple suit. Hopefully he wouldn’t stand out too much. Arima was in black, and Akira was in a dark red. She took a selfie with her family and posted it to her instagram.

On the drive over, she rode with Akira and Arima who were silent for the most part, which allowed her more than enough time to reflect, which wasn’t what she wanted to do at all.

Arima helped her out of the car, and she went to the assigned spot where the rest of her classmates were gathered.

“You look adorable, Saiko!” One girl, Mami, an old friend and godsend for borrowing notes from, said. She was also wearing makeup, which was usual for her. It was unusual for Saiko unless she was shooting a video.

“Wow, I think the entire city is here,” someone said looking out from the window and down at the courtyard where their families were gathered.Saiko looked too, and traced the kanji for _luck_ in her hand, and then swallowed it down along with all her nervousness. It was a spin on a trick she’d heard about that she often used before going on stage at conventions and contests.

“All of Tokyo could not fit into our school’s courtyard,” Nana determined. Since she was the class president, everyone chose to believe her. Their school wasn’t the worst, and it wasn’t the best, so it wouldn’t get a large turnout like Urie’s school would for example. She wasn’t looking forward to that graduation ceremony next year.

The teacher called them to attention, and they lined up to file outside to take their seats. The school choir was singing. They all stood at attention and sung the national anthem, and then the rest of the ceremony passed in a blur for her until she heard her name being called towards the end. She stood up and gave a firm “hai,” and then sat back down. That over, she looked around to see if she could see her family as Nana went on stage to accept the class diploma. To her surprise, she saw her family--to be more specific she saw her birth family. She hadn’t even been aware that they had known she was graduating, or that she would graduate. She hadn’t even been sure that she would but Tsukiyama had pushed her. Tooru had pushed her. Maman had pushed her, and she had passed all her final exams. She hadn’t bothered to apply for any colleges, and Haise was okay with that.

But, that round baker’s face, that was her birth mother. And next to her was Saiko’s oldest brother. She didn’t recognize the other people standing with them but knew the other two must be her other siblings.

They sang the closing song, and she left out with the rest of her class once it was over. They went back to the classroom, and she couldn’t stop shaking. Her birth family was here, as they had never been present in her life before now. She was afraid as she thought about what they could possibly want.

After the ceremony, she did not seek out Haise and the rest of her family. Instead she sought out the Yonebayashi family. They were easy to find, dressed as they were. Which wasn’t to say it was cheaply, but compared to the rest of the gathered crowd, it was just a touch out of place. As if they were playing at dressing up.

“Can we talk?” she asked her mother, summoning up her will power, and channeling her Miss Kano power. She could not afford to be the quiet, stuttery Saiko before this woman now.

“Sure, dear,” her mother said. They walked away from her siblings, and she and the woman who had given birth to her found a quiet spot on the campus.

“I didn’t invite you here.”

“I figured you wouldn’t mind. But you do, don’t you?” Her mother sounded like she knew the end of the conversation, so Saiko continued to skip being nice to her mother. “Yes, I mind.”

“Why?”

“You,” Saiko paused, and wiped her hands on her skirt, “I’ve done enough for you. I deserved a day without a reminder of what I left behind.”

“You can’t just abandon your family, Saiko. I gave birth to you, you are mine no matter what you think--”

“I don’t belong to anyone but myself,” she said quietly. She might not be legally an adult yet, but hadn’t that been what Haise had taught her all these years? “I have more than fulfilled my familial obligations to you. From now on I won’t be sending you anymore money. I’ve done all I can for you.” Saiko wanted to live the life she wanted to live, how she wanted to live it.

“You were never under obligation to--”

“Wasn’t I? What would have happened to you and your children without my support all this time?”

“We would have managed, just like we managed in your childhood--.”

“If you can call that managing, Mama,” Saiko said, “No, but now, now I think you’ll be okay without me. I know you will be. I’m wiping my hands of you.”

If her mother had anything else to say, Saiko didn’t hear it. She walked away, feeling lighter than ever. She took photos with her real family and friends, and didn’t care or see if her birth one left.

* * *

 

At the party that night, Tsukiyama asked her if she was alright in French. She really considered him. His suit jacket was off, and his hair was slightly mussed. He looked his age, and she supposed she should act hers.

The French language was hers, and this was her family. Tsukiyama included.

Her family was celebrating, and family friends, and just her friends as well.

She looked down into soda can, and sighed.

“Je suis bien, maintenant, Tsukiyama.”

“Very well, good,” Tsukiyama said, “I’m very proud of you, Saiko for graduating. I have a gift for you later--well, I suppose Arima helped me pick it out, so we have a gift for you later.”

“I can’t wait,” Saiko said. Tsukiyama left her side with a smile.

Akira stepped up to her when she was about to sneak off to her bedroom.

“Did you figure it out?”

She looked down at the woman she considered a grandmother as she sat on the steps, “Figure what out?”

“What you would do about your birth family?”

“. . . did you see them?”

“I invited them.”

“Grandmeeeerrreeeee, pourquoi?”

“I figured that you had some things you needed to say to them,” Akira stepped up next to her, “Was I wrong? Did I overstep?”

Saiko put her face in her hands, and leaned forward over her knees, “I was cruel to her, but I think I said what I needed to. I told her--”

“You don’t need to tell me,” Akira said. “Whatever you said, it’ll be okay.”

“Why?” Saiko asked, “Why is it okay?”

“Because you did what was right for you, and that’s what matters most. That you are okay above anyone else is my concern.” Akira touched her forehead, “Isn’t that what any grandmother wishes for her grandchildren? It’s the parent’s job to worry about if they’re right or wrong.”

“Oh, Akira,” Saiko said, and could feel tears coming to her eyes, “Even if what I did was really bad, and really mean?”

“Even then, as long as it was the choice you had to make, I won’t be mad. Neither will Haise, Arima, or the others. Also, don’t cry, you’ll mess up the makeup,” Akira wiped lightly at her eyes with her handkerchief.

Saiko thought back to her mother’s face before she had walked away that afternoon, and then looked downstairs to where Haise was talking to Hide and laughing.

“Yeah, I don’t want to worry Maman or anyone.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Akira said, “He’ll worry because he cares.”

 

Later that night when everyone was gone, and she had wiped the makeup from her face, she joined the adults when they brought out the alcohol and started drinking.

“You never gave me my gift, Shittyama,” Saiko said as she sipped her hot chocolate. Tsukiyama gave a sigh of long suffering, and pulled out her passport from his suit’s pocket. Inside was a card, and a handwritten note from Arima saying-- “A trip to anywhere I like?”

“All expenses paid too,” Tsukiyama said, “You’re welcome.”

“And I don’t need supervision either?” She kept reading.

“I would hope you would take someone,” Arima said, “But you are an adult now.”

“Please take someone,” Haise said, “A friend from school maybe?”

She knew they were still worried, even though she had only been kidnapped once, and badly at that. Now, her face was recognizable enough, and she had more to worry about. In the years since her kidnapping her security had been increased. For them to now turn around and allow this she was completely surprised.

“Yeah, I think I will,” she said.

“What do you plan on doing with yourself now, Saiko?” Arima asked.

“No more school for starters,” she said, “I want to see how far I can get with YouTubing for now.”

“Alright,” Arima said, “That’s fine.”

“Maman?”

“Hm?” he put down his can, and looked at her. “I want you to do something that makes you happy. So if that’s YouTubing, then so be it.”

“Alright,” she said, “Thank you, Maman.”

She was no longer bound to the past, and had to deal with her birth family no longer. Now, the future was what she could make of it.

She knew the future might not pan out like she wanted, but she’d never felt freer.


End file.
